Beautiful Soul
by LetTheRadioBreakTheSilence
Summary: Shane goes out looking for inspiration, and finds it in an unexpected girl. But can he make her see how amazing she really is? SMITCHIE.
1. Chapter 1

Shane pulled his baseball cap down, further covering his eyes, hid behind his newspaper when he noticed a couple girls at the next table peaking over at him. He'd been camped out at the corner table since morning and had, for the most part, avoided recognition. Under serious pressure from the label to finish the album and even more serious writer's block, Shane decided to search for the environment he always used to find inspiration in – a coffee house.

Every move he made was watched by millions of people, but when it came down to it, he was just as much a people watched as any of his fans. It was the little things that got his creativity going – the way a girl brushed her hair over her shoulder; a businessman juggling his coffee, briefcase, wallet, and cell phone; the look on a waitress' face when she got a really generous tip…or a really lousy one. He started his morning at a café a few blocks away, but the atmosphere just didn't feel right. But as soon as he stepped into this place, he felt right at home. He was yet to be stricken with an incredible idea, but he'd been scribbling down some lyrics here and there throughout the day.

"Miss, this isn't what I ordered!"

Shane peered over the top of the sports section at the annoyed man at the register. Nice suit, black leather briefcase, Bluetooth on his ear, Blackberry glued to his hand...obviously a Wallstreeter on his lunch break who thought he was the most important man in New York City. A lot of them came in around this time.

"I ordered a cappuccino. This is a latte."

"I'm sorry, sir…I'll make you a cappuccino, it will just be a minute," the waitress told him.

She was obviously timid, but tried to hide it with a smile. She was pretty, even with her long, brown hair thrown under one of the black baseball caps that all the employees wore.

"I don't have time for this!" the man exploded. "This city doesn't run itself, ya know!"

Shane stifled a laugh. The way the man tried to draw attention to his important and powerful job, like that was going to get his cappuccino made faster or something, was most likely code for he _worked _for someone important and powerful. Maybe it wasn't even his cappuccino – he was probably just making a coffee run for his boss.

"I apologize, sir…let me just…" she stuttered.

The man let out a dramatic sigh. "This will have to do. But I'm not paying for it. This was your mistake, you can pay for it."

He stormed out of the café before the waitress had a chance to say anything.

"Okay…" she said to no one, annoyance obvious in her voice. And, just in case it hadn't been obvious, she complimented it by rolling her eyes.

Another employee came over and whispered to her before taking over the register. Shane turned his attention back to the newspaper, pretending to be engrossed in an article about the New York Islanders – he preferred the Rangers. He replayed the confrontation in his head, and he felt bad for the waitress. He hoped she wasn't going to get fired or anything. It wasn't her fault this city is full of egomaniacs. Especially the financial district…

"Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with soy milk and an extra shot?"

Shane looked up and saw the same waitress smiling at him, drink in hand.

"Um, no…that's not what I ordered," he told her sympathetically.

"Damn," she said under her breath. "Was I at least close?"

No, he'd ordered an Espresso Macchiato. "Yeah, really close. Actually, that sounds better. Thanks."

She let out a relieved sigh and set the drink on the table in front of him. "Sorry…it's my first day."

"Really? I couldn't tell," he lied.

He examined her pretty face. She had the most striking brown eyes he'd ever seen. There was something about her voice that he liked, too, and the way she spoke. It was very trusting, very comforting.

"I don't believe you, but thanks for saying that anyways," she replied genuinely. "I'm really only working here because they let me play here on Saturday night."

_That_ sparked Shane's interest. "Play? Are you a musician?"

The waitress blushed a little. "Yeah…well…I mean, I don't even know if I'm any good or anything, but…"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you?"

Her face turned an even brighter shade of red. "My mom does…"

Shane hoped she didn't mistake his smile as condescending. She was very enduring, and he found her confession adorable. He knew how she felt. He'd been there once, too. "Well, I could tell you."

"What? No, I'm sure you're totally busy," she said quickly. Her frustration was kind of cute. "I mean, you're Shane Gray, you must have so many more important things to do than spend Saturday night sitting here listening to _me_…"

"Nope," he interrupted her. "I have no plans tonight. At least, I didn't until now. What time should I come back?"

Her eyes widened. "Um…I start at eight, but…"

"I'll be here."

She sighed and smiled, giving up her argument. "Okay."

"Wait," Shane said as she started to turn and leave. He opened his wallet and handed her a five dollar bill. "For that guy's cappuccino. Or…latte, I guess."

She blushed again, hiding her face in her hands at the thought of her mistake and the subsequent overreaction. "No, you don't have to…"

"_Somebody_ does. He deserves it. Didn't you hear him? He's the most important man in the world," Shane joked.

This made her giggle, which was his intention. She had an innocence about her that he found very refreshing – not many people in the music business could be described as even remotely 'innocent'. But at the same time, he could tell that there was something more to her, and the mystery intrigued him...inspired him.

"Thanks," she smiled at him genuinely for the first time, taking the money from his hand and shoving it into a pocket on her apron. "Have a nice day."

"Wait," he stopped her again as she tried to walk away. "You didn't tell me your name."

"Oh…" she replied, embarrassed. She glanced down at her hands nervously. "Mitchie…my name is Mitchie."

**A/N: I can't decide whether I'm going to leave this as a one-shot or turn it into a multi-chapter, so…it'll probably just stay a one-shot for awhile, unless I come up with an actual plotline.**


	2. Chapter 2

As the crowd in the coffee shop applauded for Mitchie, Shane caught her eye for the first time. She'd been avoiding eye contact with him since the second he walked through the door. Her nerves were already getting the better of her, and if she focused on the fact that he was there, she didn't even know if she would be able to get through her first song.

Shane looked to his friends to judge their reactions; he told them earlier that he just had a feeling about her, and by their nodding heads he could tell that they agreed. She was something special. He waved Mitchie over after she put her guitar back in its case.

"Hey…" she smiled nervously at them, her hands still shaking a little. "I'm so…"

"Incredible?" Shane offered.

Mitchie blushed and looked down at her feet. "I was going to say terrified, but thank you."

"I guess your mom has an ear for great artists," Shane joked.

Mitchie's eyes brightened a little knowing that he remembered their conversation from earlier in the day. She tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear.

"If you were in LA instead of New York, you'd be on MTV right now, seriously," Nate told her honestly. "But we're glad we found you first."

"What?" she asked, confusion painted on her pretty face.

"Did you write that?" Jason asked.

"Yeah…" she nodded. "But, it's not very good or anything…"

"Are you kidding? It was amazing," he told her. "We work with professionals that couldn't write something as good as that."

"Thanks," she replied in practically a whisper. She was in such a state of shock that she was almost, literally, speechless.

"I've been throwing around this idea for a song since I left here, but I just couldn't get it right. Now I know what's missing," Shane explained.

"What?"

Shane smirked, charmed by her obliviousness. "You."

"_Me?_"

Mitchie was sure she must have heard him wrong. Things like this didn't happen to her. They just didn't, ever. She couldn't even wrap her mind around the fact that Connect 3 was actually standing in front of her, let alone that they were telling her how talented she is. She didn't really believe that Shane was actually going to come back to watch her play, but she hadn't stopped replaying their earlier encounter over and over again in her mind. He wasn't at all what she had expected. She always assumed that he was probably an arrogant, egotistical asshole who looked down on everybody else – like all the other people she'd met while trying to break into the music business. But he wasn't anything like that. He was nice to pay for that man's coffee, nice to try to make her laugh, nice to ask about her music. Everything about him, even the way he kind of shook his head sometimes to get his dark hair out of his face, made him so real, so honest. She couldn't help but trust him, as much as she didn't think she should just yet. She wasn't very trusting of most people, much less of people she just met.

"Mitchie, I want you to record the song with us for our album. It should really be a duet," Shane told her.

Mitchie's eyes widened. "Me? But…I'm sure there are people who would be much better than me…Hannah Montana, Tess Tyler…"

"I don't want Hannah Montana and Tess Tyler," Shane interrupted her. "I want you."

Most of the crowd had cleared out of the café by now. Other than them, there were only a few employees who were busy sweeping the floor and wiping down the tables.

"But…really? Me?"

"Yes," he smirked. "You. Will you at least think about it?"

"No!" Mitchie said immediately, her voice much louder and panicked than before.

Shane raised an eyebrow at her response, unsure what to make of it. He had gathered that she was shy, but for a musician to pass up the opportunity he was offering was just stupid. And, more selfishly, he needed her. Now that he had heard her sing, there was no way he would be satisfied with the song unless _she _was on it.

"Sorry…" she blushed. "I meant, no, I don't have to think about it. I want to do it."

"Good," Shane smiled. "Give me your number and we'll call you to figure out when we can set up a time to record, okay? Are you working tomorrow? I could bring the song by so you could start learning it."

"Um, yeah, I'll be here from two till close," Mitchie replied.

She grabbed a napkin from the table next to them and pulled a pencil out of her messy bun, scribbling her name and cell phone number on it. Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold the pencil. She couldn't understand what famous rock stars would want her for. She wasn't that good, or that pretty, or that anything. She was just average.

"I'll be here," he promised.

He took the napkin from her, their hands brushing against each other briefly. Mitchie felt her heart start pounding even harder than before. She looked down at her feet, hoping to hide the fact that she was blushing again. It didn't work – Shane noticed, but he thought it was cute. Most of the time, the only girls he really associated with were famous, which seemed to be synonymous with egotistical, bitchy, self-absorbed…it was refreshing to talk to someone who didn't think they were the only person in the world.

"Thank you," Mitchie finally said meekly. "So much."

"Thank _you_," Shane replied. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mitchie."

"Yeah, okay."

"It was nice meeting you," Nate and Jason told her.

"You too," she smiled. "Bye."

She watched them walk out the door onto the busy sidewalk before she collapsed into a nearby chair. This is the kind of thing she dreamed about every night, but that's all it was – a dream. She half expected to wake up at any moment.

"You were right, dude," Jason admitted as they walked down the street. "She's incredible."

"Yeah," Nate agreed. "But we're gonna have to do something about her image. She's too…I don't know. Innocent?"

"We're not changing anything," Shane told him, his hand still grasping the napkin in his pocket. "She just needs a little self-confidence."


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh my God…"

Mitchie gasped as she entered the recording studio. She stood in the center of the mixing room, her eyes wide and a look of awe on her face. Shane watched her in amusement. A lot of girls would probably try to pretend it wasn't a big deal, play it cool – but he liked that Mitchie didn't try to hide her excitement. She didn't try to be anyone but herself, even though she didn't seem to have a lot of confidence in that sometimes.

She ran her fingers through her hair, which she'd worn down and wavy. He'd only ever seen her with her hair up or stuffed under a baseball cap, and her work uniform on. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked – after he had picked her up on his way to the studio, it suddenly took a lot more willpower to keep his eyes on the road. She was still noticeably nervous around him, but she'd been a little more talkative in the car. She looked over at him, grinning.

"So, you like it?" he smirked.

Mitchie laughed. "I'm just waiting for someone to jump out and tell me that I'm being punk'd or something."

"If it's any consolation, I've never even met Ashton Kutcher," he promised. He heard someone clear their throat obnoxiously behind him, drawing his attention to the other people in the room. "Oh, come here, Mitchie. This is Rick Tanner, our manager, and Matt Hunter, our producer. And you remember Nate and Jason, right?"

"Nice to meet you," they all said, shaking hands.

Shane could see her getting nervous again – she had that hint of fear in her eyes and her cheeks were turning red. He rested his hand on her arm instinctively, and she jumped a little.

"Mitchie…relax, okay? You have an amazing voice. You're gonna be great."

"Okay," she nodded.

"Are you guys ready to get started?" Matt asked.

Shane looked at Mitchie, and she nodded again. He put his hand on her lower back and led her into the sound booth, closely followed by Nate and Jason. Her skin tingled where his hand rest, but she hoped he couldn't tell. He handed her a pair of headphones and helped her adjust her microphone.

"You know where to come in?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I learned the song," she replied, touching the sheet music in front of her absentmindedly.

Shane put his own headphones on and gave Matt and thumbs up to let him know that they were ready. The band started playing and Shane looked at Mitchie excitedly, but she didn't start singing. He waved to the guys so they stopped playing.

"Sorry," Mitchie said. "I…sorry."

"It's okay, let's try it again," Shane replied, cuing the band again.

Her cue came again, and she missed it again.

"Sorry…" she repeated. "I'm just…I'm really nervous. I'm sorry."

Shane moved close to Mitchie and pushed the microphone away so they could talk semi-privately. She looked down at the music so she didn't have to make eye contact with him, allowing her hair to fall around her face. She was too embarrassed to look at him.

Shane lifted her chin up gently and made her look at him. "Mitchie, you don't have to be nervous. You have the best voice I've ever heard. And even if you make a mistake, we can just do it again. You performed in front of a bunch of people on Saturday…just look at me, okay? Just pretend I'm the only one listening. It's just you and me here."

"Okay," she smiled. "Just you and me."

She took a deep breath and watched him put his headphones back on and cue the band. He was too cute for his own good. And for hers, probably. Mitchie willed herself to stop thinking about him as something special. Any guy who showed the slightest interest in her made her heart go a million beats per minute. He was the kind of guy she was always falling for – the perfect guy. The guy who could have any girl he wanted, and would never see her as anything more than a friend. He was exactly that guy. Even more so, actually – he was the perfect _rock star_ guy.

She got butterflies in her stomach when he looked over at her and smiled, pointing first to her and then to himself and mouthing, "just you and me." She nodded and the band started playing again. Shane looked to her encouragingly as her cue came, and this time, she didn't miss it.

"_Kiss me too fiercely_

_Hold me too tight_

_I need help believe_

_You're with me tonight_

_My wildest dreamings_

_Could not foresee_

_Lying beside you_

_With you wanting me_…"

Shane was even more blown away by her voice now than he had been at the coffee shop. He was in such a trance, he almost missed his own cue.

"_Maybe I'm brainless_

_Maybe I'm wise_

_But you've got me seeing_

_Through different eyes_

_Somehow I've fallen_

_Under your spell_

_And somehow I'm feeling_

_It's up that I fell_…"

"_Every moment_

_As long as you're mine_

_I'll wake up my body_

_And make up for lost time_…"

As he heard how magically their voices harmonized together, he couldn't help but think that he'd ended up at _that _coffee shop for a reason that day. It didn't seem possible that he could have just found her by accident.

"_Say there's no future for us as a pair_

_And though I may know_

_I don't care_

_Just for this moment_

_As long as you're mine_

_Come be how you want to_

_And see how bright we shine_

_Borrow the moonlight_

_Until it is through_

_And know I'll be here holding you_

_As long as you're mine_…"

Even when they stopped singing and the music stopped, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Was that okay?" she finally asked him, pulling him out of his daze.

"_Okay_?" he laughed. "Mitchie, that was…you're…"

"Guys," they heard Rick's voice through the intercom say. "This is going to be _big_."

**A/N: Sorry this is a short chapter, just had to get the recording out of the way so we can get to the good stuff! The song is "As Long As You're Mine" from the musical **_**Wicked**_**. Please review! Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I tried uploading this yesterday but my document manager wasn't working :( But here it is! Enjoy!**

Shane pushed open the door to the coffee shop after wading through the sea of reporters parked outside. The song had hit the radio two days ago, and just as Rick had said, it was already huge. When Shane had heard that the paparazzi had figured out who Mitchie was and where she worked, he figured she might need some company on her way home. He remembered how overwhelming it was for him when they first started getting big.

"Shane? What are you doing here?" Mitchie asked happily at the sight of him. She was bussing a couple newly-empty tables. "I'm just finishing up."

"I figured you might need me," he replied.

She looked at him confusedly and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't looked outside recently, have you…"

"What are you talking about? What's outside?" she asked.

Before he could answer, she pushed the door open and stuck her head out. She was instantly greeted with dozens of camera flashes and photographers screaming her name. Mitchie took a few steps backwards and let the door close on its own. Shane could tell by the shocked look on her face that she hadn't expected any instant fame – he wasn't sure she'd really expected any at all.

"What the…how do they…why are they…" Mitchie stuttered.

Shane moved across the café towards Mitchie, leading her to a small table in the corner to try to escape the attention they were getting from the customers. He sat down next to her and put his hand on her arm.

"Mitchie…the song is _huge_. It was the most requested song in the country yesterday," he told her. "People want to know who you are."

"Why?"

Shane smirked. She really hadn't expected any of this. "Because you have an incredible voice, Mitchie. They want to know who you are, and they want to hear more of your music."

Mitchie didn't say anything. Shane could imagine how hard all of this was to absorb. He could tell she was scared out of her mind, trying to figure out how a girl as shy as her was going to deal with being in the spotlight all of the sudden.

"Come on. Go grab your stuff and I'll take you home," he said. "It'll be easier to go out there if you don't have to do it alone."

She nodded, standing up and disappearing into the back of the café quickly. After a few minutes, she reemerged with her purse and looked at him nervously. "I can't go out there, Shane. I look terrible."

"Stop. You look beautiful," he insisted, pushing her hair behind her ears.

Mitchie could feel the butterflies again. Having him so close to her and hearing him say that was too much. These were the moments that made her fall in love, but she couldn't let that happen. Not with him. She still couldn't figure out why he was even here; why was he being so nice to her? There were a million Hollywood girls he could be spending his time with. She thought he must be taking pity on her. She just wished he would stop making her feel so special. It was making it that much harder to resist him.

"It's gonna be okay. I'm right here," he told her. "Ready?"

She took a deep breath and nodded nervously. Shane put his arm around her waist protectively and her heart jumped. He led her out the door, into the crowd of paparazzi.

"What should I do?" she whispered to him.

"Just smile and wave."

Mitchie's eyes were wide, staring at the cameras like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. She couldn't take her eyes off of them; and Shane couldn't take his off of her. Under her fear, he could see the tiniest bit of excitement. He hoped that meant she was coming out of her shell a little – she'd have to, if she was going to build her own fan base. But he kind of liked how she was now, so shy and quiet. It made every time she let him, even just a little, feel like an accomplishment. And for some reason, that had suddenly become very important to him – to get her to open up. Just to him.

He opened the door to his white SUV and helped her in. As they pulled out onto busy 6th Avenue, she just stared out the window at the photographers running beside the car. It was obvious to Shane that she genuinely didn't understand why they were trying to take her picture. It was so refreshing for him to have found someone like her. All of the girls he hung out with knew exactly which angle to face the photographers at so the most flattering pictures of them would be published in the tabloids. They knew just where to be and what to say to get as much publicity as possible for whatever they were trying to promote. Everything they did was so calculated. But not Mitchie. She was so naïve about fame – and Shane didn't think that was a bad thing.

"That was…nuts," Mitchie sighed after a few minutes.

"Well, it's only going to get worse once the tour starts," he smirked.

She stared at him blankly. "The tour?"

"Well, yeah…you're coming with us."

"_Me?_" she asked, shocked. "But…I can't, Shane…I have to work."

Shane laughed and rested his hand on hers. Mitchie looked down at their hands quickly and her entire body went on alert. He had to stop doing things like that or she wasn't going to be able to keep her feelings in check for long.

"I think you'll reconsider once you see the contracts...I bet we pay _a little _better."


	5. Chapter 5

Shane watched Mitchie as she peaked out at the crowd from backstage. They had been asked to perform at the Grammys, and they jumped at the offer. They didn't want the first time Mitchie performed in front of a live audience to be on the first night of the tour, which was in a week. Connect Three's recent CD had been nominated for album of the year, and the duet had also been nominated for song of the year.

Shane caught himself doing that a lot these days – watching her. Tonight was no exception, but _she _was exceptional tonight. She wore a deep blue, one-shoulder dress, which went perfectly with her tan, silky skin. Her hair was curled and half was pulled back. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her – he thought she looked like an angel. There were hundreds of other people there, but he barely noticed any of them.

"I can't do this, Shane. There are so many people out there…_Madonna's _out there!" Mitchie panicked.

"Forget Madonna," Shane replied, causing Mitchie to gasp as though he had just denounced God or something equally shocking. "It's just like in the studio, okay? Just you and me."

"That won't work this time. There were only a few other people there…but now there's…"

"Just you and me," he repeated and touched her cheek gently. "God…you really just _don't know_ how incredible you are, do you?"

He hadn't really meant to say that aloud, and he could feel her cheek heating up under his fingers. He pulled his hand away quickly and glanced down at the floor. Hopefully she didn't realize that he was talking about so much more than her voice.

"Shane, I can't…"

"Mitchie," he interrupted. "You can. Just focus on me and on the lyrics, like you're singing it to…"

Mitchie's mind started racing as he paused before finishing his sentence. She had to be on constant alert every time she sang it, otherwise her mind would drift and she would start to imagine that one day the words they sang to each other would really be true. She tried to ignore his comment instead of picking it apart for what he could have possibly been implying, if anything, but probably nothing, but…

"To you?" she let the words slip out before she could even catch herself.

Shane felt his heart skip a beat. "Well, no, not to me…_specifically…_necessarily…but, you know…to someone. Someone you really care about."

_So, you,_ Mitchie's heart wanted to say, but her head wouldn't let her. As much as she didn't want to admit it, it certainly wouldn't be hard for her to imagine singing it to someone she cared for – he'd be singing it back.

"Is there…someone you care about? Like…in the song?" Shane asked, trying to make it sound like an offhand comment instead of one that it heart was resting on.

Mitchie glanced down at the floor nervously. "Yes."

Shane sighed. "Well…good, then, so, just…sing it to him, okay?"

She nodded silently, wishing she wasn't so shy. She envied those girls she saw in the movies, who could just say what they were thinking. Those girls would tell Shane how they felt – Mitchie was still trying to convince herself otherwise. Those girls were the kind of girls Shane probably liked. Confident, gorgeous, outgoing…everything she wasn't.

"Who do you think of? When you sing it, I mean," she asked quietly, half-hoping he didn't hear her.

"Oh, um…nobody, really. They're just words," he lied.

To his relief, Nate and Jason approached them before the conversation could get any more awkward.

"You guys ready?" Nate asked excitedly. "They're going to introduce us any minute."

Shane smirked as Mitchie's face turned as white as a ghost. He pulled her into a tight hug and whispered in her ear. "Don't be scared, Mitchie. You can do this. Everyone already knows the song, and they know what an amazing singer you are. Just go out there and do what you know how to do, okay? Don't even look at all the people…just keep your eyes on me."

"Okay," she replied quietly, wishing he would let go of her so her heart would stop getting the wrong idea.

He held her close to him for a few more seconds, taking in the strawberry scent of her hair and the softness of her skin. Being so near her made him realize exactly how much he really did like her, which scared him. They'd only known each other for a few weeks, but even on the first day he saw her, he'd known there was something special about her. He didn't know how much longer he could go without telling her exactly how special he thought she was. Even though she was already thinking about some guy when she sang their song, he knew he had to try to make her feel those words for him. He had been inspired to write it because of her – he wasn't sure why, at the time, but now he knew.

Shane heard the host announce their names and the crowd applaud. He gave Mitchie one last encouraging look before they stepped out onto the stage with Nate and Jason.

Mitchie could feel her entire body shaking. _Just look at Shane, just look at Shane,_ she kept repeating in her mind, trying to drown out the sound of the audience. As Nate and Jason started playing the opening cords, she locked her eyes with Shane's and took a deep breath. Her heart was pounding faster and harder than it ever had and she could feel beads of sweat rolling down her face already. It was so hot under the lights and even if she had the guts to look out at all of the people watching her, she wasn't sure she could have even seen them because the lights would have blinded her.

And she knew she shouldn't, but maybe, just this once, just for tonight…she'd let herself pretend that he was _really _singing to her.

**A/N: I promise something substantial is actually going to happen in the next chapter. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Shane's eyes shot open as he heard someone moving around the tour bus. He hadn't really been sleeping – he'd been lying awake in his bunk bed waiting for Mitchie to get back.

Tess Tyler had joined them for a few shows on the tour as an opening act while they were in California, and Shane immediately saw Mitchie starting to come out of her shell – but not in the way he wanted her to. He'd been playing their conversation from earlier that night over and over again in his head since she left.

"Mitchie…what are you wearing?" he had asked her.

She was wearing a black leather mini skirt, knee high leather stiletto boots, and a bright red halter top, obviously with a push-up bra underneath. She had bright red lipstick on and way too much black eyeliner.

"Doesn't she look hot?" Tess interrupted, looking Mitchie up and down proudly.

"Um…well, yeah, I guess so," he replied. "It's just…_so_ not you, Mitch."

"Well I…" she started, but Tess linked her arm through Mitchie's and started to pull her away.

"Don't wait up, boys!"

"Where are they going?" Nate had asked.

"And why is Mitchie dressed like a hooker?" Jason added.

"I don't know…"

"Mitchie?" Shane called out quietly from his bunk bed.

"No," Nate replied simply.

Shane put his feet on the floor and walked into the more spacious living room area of the tour bus where his friend was. Nate was pulling his jacket on tiredly.

"Where are you going?" Shane asked.

"Nowhere," Nate shrugged.

"What do you mean, nowhere?"

Nate rolled his eyes. "I'm not supposed to tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because she asked me not to."

"_She_?" Shane asked quickly. "Mitchie?"

Nate sighed. "Yes."

"Where is she? Is she okay?" he asked frantically. A million worst-case scenarios were racing through his mind.

Nate was quiet for a moment, trying to decide whether or not he should tell him. "Well…I guess you'll find out soon enough. The girls got arrested."

"WHAT?!"

"She said that they were at a club and they were dancing on a table or something, and then these guys started like grabbing at them and…did you know high heels can be considered dangerous weapons?" Nate explained.

Shane ran his fingers through his hair. Mitchie would never have done anything like that until she started trying to be like Tess. It just wasn't her. He should have known that Tess would be trouble on the tour.

"Why didn't she call me?" Shane asked. They were much closer than she and Nate were.

Nate shrugged. "I don't know…she's probably embarrassed."

"Why would she be embarrassed?"

Nate looked at his friend, annoyed. "Shane, do I look like a girl to you? How the hell would I know why she would be embarrassed? I don't even know if that's why, I was just guessing. So can I go get her now or what?"

"I'm coming with you," Shane said immediately.

"No, you're not," Nate replied. "I already told you when I promised her I wouldn't. You can't come."

"But…"

Bye, Shane," Nate interrupted him, stepping off the bus and letting the door swing closed behind him.

_I can't believe this is happening_, Mitchie thought, her head buried in her hands. This wasn't her. She should never have let Tess talk her into it. She'd let herself get carried away, and she lost control of her heart. Tess was so cool, outgoing, rebellious…the kind of girl Shane would like. She thought maybe she could be like that, even though she was still half-trying to convince herself that she didn't like Shane. But who was she kidding? Despite all the effort she put into trying not to like him the last couple of months, she'd fallen head over heels.

"Mitchie?"

"Nate!" Mitchie jumped up and moved immediately towards Nate.

Nate smiled at her sympathetically; her makeup was smudged from crying. He pulled her into a hug.

"I thought you would be locked up when I got here," he smirked.

Mitchie managed a small laugh. "When they watched the security tape they saw that it was clearly self-defense, so they're not pressing charges."

"Of all the people I know, you're the last person I would ever expect to kick the shit out of someone."

"He was attacking me!" Mitchie replied mock-defensively. "It's not like I permanently damaged him or anything, anyways."

"Yeah, whatever…" Nate joked. "Come on, let's get you back to the bus."

"Fast, _please_, I'm starving."

"Do you want to go somewhere? I'm sure there's somewhere open at…4am," he suggested, checking his watch. "Or do you just wanna crash?"

Mitchie thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "I'm actually not tired at all. Let's do it."

As they walked down the street in search of a restaurant and slipped into the first open diner, Mitchie realized how easy Nate was to talk to. She wasn't worried about trying to impress him too much, or trying to convince herself she wasn't feeling what she was feeling. She could be herself around him. They hadn't spent a lot of time together since the tour started, but they had a lot more in common than she could have imagined.

Nate opened the door for Mitchie when the taxi pulled up to the tour bus and helped her out. He had never realized how cool she was. She was always so quiet, but he'd never spent time with her without Shane and Jason around before, either. She was prettier than he'd noticed before, too. He'd never really paid that much attention. She'd washed off her smudged makeup in the bathroom at the diner and now her revealing outfit was covered with his jacket. She'd let her hair down, and he found the way the curls fell freely around her face to be irresistible. At the restaurant, they realized that they both had the same embarrassing addiction – old reruns of _Beverly Hills 90210_ – and they'd spent the whole cab ride laughing about their favorite episodes and characters.

"Okay, but have you seen the one where Kelly gets brainwashed by her professor and joins a cult?" Mitchie laughed. "That's a classic."

Nate smiled but didn't respond. He touched her cheek lightly as the cab pulled away and her laughing silenced. Her eyes were locked with his, and he kissed her gently. She kissed him back, her fingers laced around the back of his neck.

Mitchie was caught off-guard, but she didn't protest to the kiss. She didn't want to, really, at least, she didn't think so. She could feel her head spinning, but kind of in a good way. Yes, whether she wanted to admit or not, she was in love with Shane – but she'd connected with Nate tonight, in a way that she hadn't really with Shane because she was too nervous around him. It's not like a guy like Shane could ever like a girl like her, anyways. She didn't know what to think, so she just tried not to, at least for the moment.

Nate broke the kiss after a few moments and smiled at her. He knew it couldn't go any further tonight, since all of their bunk beds were in the same area, but that was okay. They'd made a connection, and he didn't want to do anything to compromise that. Anyways, she didn't really seem like the kind of girl who would go any further than a kiss on the first date – and since they hadn't actually been on a date, he was already ahead of the game.

"Goodnight," he said sweetly, opening the door to the bus and holding it open for her.

"Sweet dreams," she smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey, come here," Nate waved Mitchie into his dressing room when he saw her standing in the doorway.

She stepped inside and he moved towards her, pushing the door closed behind her and kissing her fiercely. He'd been thinking about her all day and he barely slept after they got back last night. He was so happy to finally see her – he wasn't sure he would be able to concentrate on the music if he didn't get to kiss her before the concert.

Mitchie giggled and broke the kiss after a moment. "They wanted me to come tell you that you're going on in a few minutes."

Nate grinned. "Do you want to go out after the show?"

"Yeah, that'd be fun," Mitchie nodded.

"Great," he replied. He kissed her once more before he began to leave his dressing room. "I'll see you on stage."

Mitchie waved goodbye and waited for him to disappear down the hallway before she slumped onto the couch. She really did like Nate, and she knew that she should give up on Shane. It was stupid for her to keep dreaming about being with someone who would never see her the way she wanted him to. But regardless of what her head wanted her to do, her heart wouldn't let her. She'd been avoiding Shane all day so she didn't have to explain what happened at the club last night. It was so embarrassing. The rock star type of girl Shane would date wouldn't have panicked like she did when that man started grabbing at her. She wouldn't have been scared, but Mitchie was.

She sighed and got up after a few minutes, making her way to the area where she knew the guys would be waiting for Tess to finish her opening act. Nate winked at her when he saw her, but she wasn't paying attention to him, because Shane was walking towards her.

"Can we talk for a minute?" he asked, pulling her out of earshot of the others.

"Um…yeah," she replied, not that she really seemed to have much of a choice since he had a pretty firm grip on her arm.

Shane sighed. He appeared to be collecting his thoughts before he spoke. "Mitchie…what the hell happened last night? Why are you trying to be like Tess all of the sudden? This isn't like you at all."

_Because of you_, she wanted to say. _Because Tess is cool, she's the kind of girl you would date. Because she told me that if I dressed like that, you would want me, and you would be jealous that I was going out without you. Because she told me that she would help me get you, and I was stupid enough to even think that was possible. I did it because of you. It's all for you. _But she wouldn't say that. She knew that if she laid her heart on the line like that, it was only going to get stepped on.

"I don't know how to be a rock star, Shane. Tess does, so I just thought she could help…look, I'm doing the best I can, okay? I'm trying," she explained.

"Stop trying. Stop trying to be anybody but yourself. Once people see who you really are, they're gonna love you," Shane begged her.

All he wanted was the old Mitchie back. The sweet, quiet Mitchie that he had met at the coffee shop. The one who inspired him to write the song.

"No, they won't. I feel like I'm in a totally different world…and I don't fit in here. I'm not like Tess, or Hannah Montana, or any of those other girls."

"That's what makes you so special, Mitchie," he told her. "That's why they'll love you. That's why I love you…" Shane stopped awkwardly. "I mean…not in like…not in _that_ way or anything but…you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know," Mitchie sighed.

She'd known what he meant when he said it – he loved her like a friend, maybe even like a sister – but it still made her heart a little hopeful that maybe he meant something more. She silently cursed her heart for being so unrealistic. It seemed to have a mind of its own.

"Shane, come on," Jason called to him as Tess walked backstage, gave a thumbs-up to Mitchie when she noticed her talking to Shane, and headed straight for her dressing room.

Mitchie smiled weakly at him. "Good luck."

"Thanks," he replied.

He jogged over to Nate and Jason and waited for their cue. His mind was racing. He hadn't meant for that to slip out at all, but as soon as he said it, he realized just how true it was. Telling her that he loved her felt so right. So why had he backtracked like that? He should have just told her the truth. They jogged out onstage, waving to all the fans.

"How's everyone doing tonight?" he asked the crowd enthusiastically, just like he did every night. They screamed and whistled, just like _they _did every night. "I can't hear you…let's try that again. How's everyone doing tonight?"

Shane tried to clear his head and focus on the crowd, but all he could think about was how good it felt to tell Mitchie that he loved her. His eyes defied his brain and wandered backstage, hoping to catch a glimpse of her – he did.

"Excuse me for a second," he said absentmindedly into the microphone.

He handed his microphone to Nate as he walked off the stage.

"Shane, what the hell are you doing?" Nate whispered harshly.

Shane ignored him. His eyes were locked on Mitchie and as far as he was concerned, at that moment, she was the only other person in the world.

"Shane, what are you doing?" she asked him when he finally made it to her.

"I meant it in that way," he said blatantly. "I meant exactly what I said. I love you."

Mitchie's eyes widened. "What? _Me_?"

Shane smiled. He should have known she would say that. "Yes, Mitchie. _You_. I want _you_. I love _you_. I don't know any other way to say it."

"Oh my God…"Mitchie grinned. "I love you, too."

He pulled her body close to his quickly and kissed her passionately. Mitchie couldn't even believe what was happening. She wished someone would pinch her to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Hearing Shane say those words, and knowing that he meant them, was too good to be true.

"I think you should go back out there," Mitchie smirked, breaking this kiss.

Shane could hear the crowd chanting his name. He grinned at Mitchie, overjoyed to finally have his arms around her. "I can't wait to do our song."

"Me either," she replied happily.

"I've always been singing it to you," he added, taking a few backwards steps towards the stage. "And I'm taking you out after the show."

"I can't wait," she called to him as he jogged back onto the stage and took his microphone from Nate.

"How's everyone doing tonight? Because I'm doing _great_!"


	8. Chapter 8

Mitchie wandered into the tour bus in a daze, her mind replaying every perfect moment of her date with Shane. It had been better than anything she could have dreamed. It was like they had been together for years – they could talk about anything, everything. And when he kissed her…just thinking about it made her go weak at the knees.

"How was our date?" she heard Nate asked. She had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts she hadn't even noticed him slouched on the couch. "I see I was uninvited."

Mitchie bit her lip nervously. She'd totally forgotten about her plans with Nate the second Shane had told her that he loved her. "Nate, I'm so sorry."

"No you're not," he said matter-of-factly. "You got exactly what you wanted, didn't you?"

She thought about protesting, but she realized it wasn't worth it. He already knew. "Yes…but Nate…"

"Mitchie, stop. Tess told me all about how in love you've been with Shane since the day you met him. And how you've spent every waking moment trying to get him to notice you. Well, congratulations, I guess he does."

"If you would just let me explain…"

"Explain why you led me on?" he asked, the question obviously rhetorical. "I don't know if I want to hear it. I get it, you were just looking for someone to make out with while Shane took his time realizing that he even liked you. I just wish you would have made that more clear so I didn't waste time thinking that we could really have something. Was this part of your plan? Were you going to use me to try to make Shane jealous or something?"

"Nate, it wasn't like that _at all_," Mitchie said quickly, her eyes begging him to let her explain. She could feel the tears rimming her eyes and her cheeks heating up. "I really like you, Nate. I know you probably don't believe that, but I do. When I realized how much I did, I thought I could give up on Shane. But then when he told me that he loved me…"

"I didn't even cross your mind after he said it, did I?"

She sighed, ashamed to admit the truth. "No."

"What about me?" he asked so quietly Mitchie wasn't sure she was actually meant to hear it.

"I'm sorry, Nate," she repeated. "You can't control who you fall in love with."

"What's going on?" Shane asked, appearing in the room.

Mitchie spun around and came face-to-face with him. She had no idea how long he'd been there, how much he had heard. She didn't want to lie to him, but at the same time, she didn't know how he would react to the truth. Would he be angry at her? At Nate? Or worse – would he side with his friend and not want to be with her anymore? She couldn't handle the thought of losing him. "Um…well…um…"

"Is something going on between you guys?" he asked bluntly.

Mitchie couldn't tell if it was anger or hurt in his eyes, but she didn't want to be the cause of either. She glanced over her shoulder at Nate, trying to communicate with him silently, though she had no idea what she was trying to convey. Whatever it was, Nate seemed to understand.

"No," Nate replied. "Mitchie was just giving me some advice about…Tess. I like Tess but I think she likes someone else."

An obvious expression of relief replaced the concerned look on Shane's face. "You should just tell her, man. You're a stud! She'd be lucky to have you."

"That's what I was saying," Mitchie told him. "_Any_ girl would be lucky to have you. But, sometimes…it's just not meant to be."

"But you'll never know until you try," Shane added. "Come on, babe. You still want to watch a movie, right?"

"Um…yeah," she replied. "Just give me a second, okay? I'll meet you in there."

"Okay," he said, kissing her neck before he left the room.

Mitchie waited until she was sure he couldn't hear them before addressing Nate again. "Thank you, for…lying, I guess."

"It wasn't a lie. There's nothing going on between us, you've made that _very_ clear," he replied flatly.

"Nate…" she started, but realized there was really nothing else to say. "Can we be friends?"

Nate wanted to scream at her. She had just broken his heart, and she had the nerve to ask him if they could be _friends_? "No, I don't think so."

"_Ever_?"

"I don't know, Mitchie!" he shrugged. "I can't see you with him. I don't even want to see you."

"What does that mean?" she asked, the hurt in her voice obvious.

"It means go away, Mitchie. Just leave me alone. Your _boyfriend _is waiting for you."

**A/N: The end! Sorry it took like a million years for me to update. I was so busy and then just kind of lost inspiration for awhile.**


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